Rope sling



Oct. 2, ,1928.

C. D. MEALS ROPE SLING Filed Aug. 25, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR #2605.

Cd SIDQT' D BY K H W ATTORNEY C. D. MEALS Get. 2, 1928.

ROPE SLING Filed Aug. 25, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR er 0. Mm 25. BY

A ag- \ATTORNEY Casp a heretofore,

1' 8, OF NUTLEY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERIGM CABLE EA'NY, INC., A COBEORATION 0F JDELAWE.

coinnorn same.

Application filed August 25, 1927. Serial No. 215,389.

This invention relates to slings made of wire rope and more particularly to a type of sling intended for hoisting and handling gird ers, beams and other similar heavy building a materials, but applicable generally for hoisting and similar purposes.

An important object of the invention is the provision of an improved form of multi-rope sling, i. e., a sling comprising three or more to wire ropes, strands or flexible tension members extended side byside and connected at the ends of the sling to thimbles, the improvement consisting in passing a single extended flexible member around the thimbles several times to form one or more closed loops around each thimble with the respective parts of the rope between the thimbles constituting the several tension members of the multi-rope slin and securing the ends of the wire rope as to t e thimbles, one end to each thimble, so

that when the sling is placed under tension by drawing the thimbles away from each other, the tension upon the stretches of wire rope between the thimbles is equalized by the as shifting of the portions of the loops secured around the thimbles, on which the rope is free to slide in the direction of its length.

The purpose of providing several stretches of wire rope, instead of using a single cable so of equivalentstrength, is to permit greater flexibility in the sling, so that it may be more readily bent around a beam, pole, or other structural partto which attachment is to be efiected, but in making such multi-rope slings, it has been the usual practice .to secure the ends of each stretch of ro thimbles at each end of the sling so t at there is no provision for equalization by running of loops freely around the thimbles, and such slings have therefore been'relatively stiff,

and it has been dificult, if not impossible, to provide for an equal tension upon each stretch of the wire rope. It has also been the practice to form a multi-rope slingcomprising a plu as rality of endless rommets, arranged. side by,

side, but unless t e endless grommets are of exactly the proper size re atively to each other, the tension on individual stretches of the grommets is not equal, bringing more to strain upon one than upon another. Such slings also require greater skill and expense I in construction, and are more diflic'ult to repair than amulti-rope sling, formed of an e to the extended single wire rope in pursuance of the present invention.

A clear conception of the now preferred tion in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 discloses in plan view a sling embodying the invention. Fig. 2 discloses in plan view a further form of sling. i

Fig. 3 discloses in plan View a modified form of sling.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the cable when in use. i Fig. 5 is an end crc ss-section of a thimble. Fig. 6 is a front cross-section of a thimble. The now preferred form of the invention comprises two equalizing thimbles, such as those illustrated at A. and B with an extended single flexible member 1, formed of a suitable length of wire rope, for example, one end of which is secured to thimble A, as by a socket v connection of well-known form, designated by the reference character a. From this connection the wire rope runs to the thimble B, passing around the outer end thereof, and thence runs in a stretch 2 extending to and around the outer end of thimble A, from which the free end of the wire rope is extended in a stretch?) to thimble B and is secured thereto by a socket or other suitable connection I),

referably similar to the connectiona.

The thimbles A and B may be of any form suitable to hold the loops of the wire rope in assembled relation while permitting the rope to slide freely thereon to the extent necessary to equalize thetension on an number of stretches when the thimbles and B are Figs. 1, 2 and 3, or when formed into a loop, by passin one of the thimbles through the other, as i lustrated in Fig. 4, and then drawing upon the free thimble A.

drawn apart, either in a straight line, as in a v numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, formed of a single I rope, one end of stretch 1 being secured to thimble A by a sooketconnection a like that ments shown, and a description of that shown in detailed section in Figs. 5 and 6 will suflice to permit a clear understanding of the co- 'operation'of each thimble with the wire rope.

The thimbles are respectively of oval shape, each preferably formed as an integral casting at one end of which is a socket a to which 7 the corresponding end 1 of the wire rope is led through an aperture a and secured suitably as by a zinc filling a The periphery of each thimble is generally channel-shaped in cross-section, and of a width suitable to receive the desired number of loop portions of wire rope, as shown in Fig. 5. The walls of 10 being of a height equal to, or more than, the radius of the rope used thereby preventing the-loops of rope from slipping ofl while in use.

For the purpose of holding the loops in place, the rims of the channels are bridged, at suitable points, as indicated at 8 throughout the drawings, and preferably more extended outer walls are provided as shown at 9,

to confine the loops at the regions where they merge into the stretches ofthe sling. This serves to bring the stretches into assembled relation.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that wire slings constructed in pursuance of the invention provide for equalization of tension through their structure, with a minimum number of essential parts, inasmuch as the use of a single, extended flexible member lends itself readily to assembly with thimbles of integral structure, and accordingly the cost of construction is relative- 1y low as compared with that of multiple slings requiring two-part thimbles, and there are'fewer parts to work loose or require re- Pair.

It is to be understood, however, that suitable modifications may be made in the strucmm of the thimbles as well as in the type of flexible members used, and in the number of stretches provided, to meet desirable requirements in use, without departing from the spirit of the invention. 7

I claim-- 1. A sling of the type described, said sling comprising a pair of thimbles and a single flexible member, each end of which is secured 'to a thimble, the intermediate portion of said member being carried around each of Leaaasa member being carried around each of said thimbles a plurality of times, thereby forming a plurality of stretches of said flexible member extending between said thimbles whereby when tension is placed upon said sling it is equalized among said stretches.

3. A sling of the type described, said sling comprising a pair of thimbles and a flexible wire rope, one end of which is secured to one of said thimbles and the other end thereof is secured to the other of said thimbles, the intermediate portion of said wire rope being formed into loops running freely around said thimbles respectively and forming. a plurality of stretches of flexible wire rope extending between the thimbles, whereby when tension is placed upon said sling it is equalized amon said stretches.

4:. A sling of the type described comprising a pair of thimbles, each of said thimbles having a socket formed therein, a single flexible wire rope, one end of said rope being secured in said socket in one of said thimbles, said rope being formed into loops running freely aroundsaid thimbles and having its other end secured in said socket in the other thimble, thereby forming a plurality of stretches of rope between the thimbles, whereby when tension is placed upon said sling it is equalized among said stretches.

5. A sling of the type described comprising a pair of thimbles, a single flexible wire rope, one end of said rope being secured to one of said thimbles-,'sai d rope being formed into loops running freely around said thimbles and having its other end secured to the other thimble, thereby forming a plurality of stretches of rope between the thimbles, each of said thimbles having a peripheral groove to receive said loops.

6. A sling of the type described comprising plurality of loops, each running freely around both of said thimbles, and the other end of said rope being secured to the other thimble, thereby forming at least five stretches of rope" between the thimbles, each of said thimbles having a single peripheral groove formed therein toreceive said loops. v

Intestimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

CASPER D. MEALS. 

